Our Competencies in Organizational Development and Change

OD Network

Our Focus

Founded in 1985: Watts & Associates is a creative, dedicated, and client-centered organizational development and change consultancy. We co-design strategies with our clients to achieve their goals.   

 

Vanguard for Healthy Organizational Culture and Growth

Watts & Associates maintains its position as a forerunner in the healthy organizational space. For over 30 years we have been a vanguard for healthy organizational development. The foundation of our work rest confidently on the principles and values in the books and experience of our resident thought leader-practitioner and founder Dr. Robert Watts.    

Consulting Value Delivered and Recognized

Dr. Watts and Dr. DaShori Crocker
Completion Ceremony The City of Clovis Public Utilities Department

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Value Design Scenarios

Consultation/Facilitation/Training/ Coaching for Healthy Organizational Development and Growth

After experiencing years of staff complacency with their own mediocre performance and its consequences, a large central valley school district office reached out to Watts and Associates for assistance. The core function of the office was managing an afterschool job placement program, social skill development, and an academic tutorial program for high school age students.

Deploying the first phase of LADS we that learned habitual lateness, excessive sick leave, poor execution of tasks and neophyte and laisser-faire leadership, were central themes that needed attention. Consequences of these themes were experienced as persistent complaining from community partners about staff disorganization, mismanagement of events, poor follow through, and a general lack of accountability.

We launched a plan with an initial strategy to strengthen leadership’s capacity that included creation of a mission, vision and discovery of core values, and a 3-year strategic plan. These items were used to inform and drive the build out of our SOIG (Show Observe Interact and Grow) digital organizational development and performance management platform.

SOIG provided the 1) Framework for designing training and coaching goals and objectives that supported leadership’s capacity building, 2) A digital messaging function allowed for remote assistance that was structured and archived, 3) Accountability partnership functions to support the intrinsic desire to be accountable, 4) digital connects and linking by shared goals and influence, 5) Transparency of purpose and direction, and 5) Leadership with the capacity to delegation with competence and confidence and redirect constructively.

After two years of engagement, leadership reported significant increases in satisfactory reports from community partners, a marked decrease in absenteeism and sick leave, more interest in producing quality work, and a less stressful work environment.

Consultation/Facilitation/Training/ Coaching for Healthy Organizational Development and Change

After many years of financial growth and stability a major minority asset management firm was losing market share and experiencing large turnover in key areas. Watts & Associates was brought in to assess the situation and recommend solutions. Using our L.A.D.S. Consultancy Model we discovered gaps in two critical areas: 1) Clarity of the organization’s strategic plan – vision, mission, and values, and 2) A lack of capacity for implementing and staying aligned with the strategic plan.

We facilitated an organizational change/development intervention that produced 1) Clearer, more meaningful and practical strategic vision, mission and values 2) Defined and codified work policies and procedures, and 3) Implemented a transformational leadership model that strengthened relations at all levels. Through this intervention we were able to assist the client with being more self-organized and referential which helped them recapture their market position, reduce turnover in mission critical areas, and establish a more harmonious and productive workforce that continues to thrive.

Consultation/Facilitation/Coaching for Organizational Development and Change

We were referred to the management team of a global computer hardware manufacturer by one of its vendors. They were experiencing significant lows in productivity and morale due to budget cuts and downsizing in its software engineering department. A part of their intervention strategy was to incorporate “Valuing Teammates” into their annual employee conference in order to strengthen bonds in the wake of an integration of new tasks and job designs. Using L.A.D.S. we co-created and administered a climate survey that uncovered a strong climate of ‘Blame” within the department that could make change difficult to implement.

Collaborating with the client we chose our “People Are Never the Problem” team building solution as a viable strategy. A one-day workshop was de-signed and successfully facilitated as a platform to launch a full-scale intervention to strengthen group connectivity and communication. All participants evaluated the workshop as a much needed and an invaluable tool for launching the other initiatives of their intervention.

Facilitation: Team Building

Steel union leaders were frustrated and concerned about their union member’s reluctance to embrace opportunities for career training in the wake of industry changes in technology and job shrinkage due to globalization. Using L.A.D.S. we interviewed leaders and managers and discovered a concern that direct reports were in denial of key industry forces which were dictating changes in job design which would require them to acquire new knowledge and skills.

After assessing the situation with the client it was decided that “You Are the Course, Now Teach It and Get What You’ve Always Wanted,” would be reframed to “Know Your Course, Strengthen It and Get All That You Ever Wanted.” The reframing strategy produced a presentation that highlighted the benefits of self-reflection, challenging comfort zones, managing fear of un-certainty, and learning to value change. The result was a roaring standing ovation!

Keynote Speaking: Informative, Exhilarating and Electrifying!